


Light Fields of Aldar

by Starlithorizon



Category: Cabin Pressure, Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-08
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-20 14:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/586291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlithorizon/pseuds/Starlithorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor picks up a new (brilliant) companion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Light Fields of Aldar

It happened shortly after the crew of MJN Air had helped the strange fellow with the floppy hair and floppy grin.

Everything had started normally, with Arthur's mum looking pleased as punch at how much the day's passenger had paid. The man himself, the other one, not the floppy one who called himself the Doctor, had seemed decent enough. He had smiled at Arthur, laughed at one of Skip's unsteady jokes, let Arthur pet his dog. As it turned out, of course, the man hadn't been all that normal, and nor had his dog.

After the Doctor appeared (where on earth _from_?), after the man's skin melted away and into iridescent red scales, after the dog had become, well, something that wasn't a dog, it happened. Mum had raged and quaked (and hidden) in the loo, and Douglas had helped, though not happily. Skip had fought quite bravely, actually, and with more excitement than really made sense for _Martin_ of all people.

When the Doctor had asked Skip if he'd like to go with him, Skip had dithered for a moment, just a tiny little moment, before saying no. He loved this too much, and when the Doctor had asked what he meant, Skip had waved his hand about to gesture at _everything_. He didn't want to leave.

That left Arthur, who had helped just as bravely and brilliantly as Douglas and Skip with as much enthusiasm and bravery as the captain. The Doctor had turned and smiled hugely (floppily) and asked if he wanted to go. To travel through all of space and time— ** _BRILLIANT_**!

When they landed in Fitton again, he had hugged everyone, promised his mum that he'd talk when he could, and grabbed his bag. The Doctor had led him to the blue box lurking somewhere on the air field, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

Now here he was, standing at the console of a little blue box that was so much bigger and more brilliant on the inside than he could possibly have imagined, laughing brightly as the Doctor threw levers and pressed buttons and made things go _ding_! Things whirred and buzzed and hummed on the console. The big cylinder in the centre moved up and down hugely in a way that seemed so significant, and suddenly, the whole thing was lurching. Lurching and moving and tossing a laughing Arthur to the floor.

When it stilled (and how still it went!), the Doctor threw a cursory glance at the monitor hanging in front of his face, grinned, and loped over to the door, throwing it open. Arthur leapt to his feet and ran to the Doctor's side, peering out over his shoulder.

The world outside was like nothing he had ever seen, and he'd seen quite a lot. It was dark out, a quietly blue type of dark, but it was glowingly incandescent. Little specks of pale light fluttered about like fireflies, drifting close to the box ( _TARDIS, Arthur_ ) and away. The younger man looked at the older man who didn't seem much older, but it was obvious, wasn't it?

"What is this?" he asked. The Doctor turned and beamed.

"This, Mr. Shappey, is the light field of Aldar. Same time and date as it was on Earth when we left, but incredibly far away. In a different galaxy altogether."

" _Wow_."

Normally, when this phrase was spoken by Arthur, it was with a loud reverence, usually reserved for the first officer's possibly magical doings or Skip's logical leaps and bounds. This time, however, it was cathedral-hushed. Soft, little more than a brush of air.

"Can we...?"

The Doctor, latching onto the end of Arthur's question, waved him forward.

Carefully, with all the sombreness the situation dictated, he took a step forward. And out.

Instantly, the little lights fluttered round Arthur. He laughed softly, because it tickled, but he didn't want to scare the little glowing things away. The Doctor stood beside him, grinning as the lights swarmed him as well.

"What are they?"

"Candarians," the Doctor told him. "Perfectly harmless. A bit like tiny glowing butterflies that are nothing like butterflies at all, really."

So the two travelers, one lonely, one thrumming with the people that surrounded him, stood in the light fields of another planet, surrounded by the glowing inhabitants of said planet, their adventure only just beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorely tempted to do more. Guys, I love Arthur.


End file.
